A Cluster of Dengue Cases in Travelers: A Clinical Series from Thailand

Dengue is an overlooked tropical disease for which billions of people are at risk. The disease, caused by a Flavivirus with four distinct serotypes, is transmitted primarily by urban Aedes mosquito species. The infection leads to a spectrum of clinical manifestations, with the majority being asymptomatic. Primary dengue fever and, to a greater extent, a subsequent infection with a different serotype is associated with increased severity. Increased global travel and recreational tourism expose individuals naïve to the dengue viruses, the most common arboviral infections among travelers. We describe a cluster of possible primary acute dengue infections in a group of 12 individuals who presented to Bangkok Hospital for Tropical Diseases in 2017. Infection was confirmed by dengue NS1 antigen and multiplex real-time RT-PCR. Nine individuals required hospitalization, and four developed dengue warning signs. Leukocytes, neutrophils, and platelets declined towards defervescence and were negatively correlated with day of illness. Six clinical isolates were identified as dengue serotype-1, with 100% nucleotide identity suggesting that these patients were infected with the same virus.